The Unexpected
by Shadow's Whispers
Summary: Four turtles, four brothers, the only protection New York has from the Foot and the Shredder. It seems, however, that these mutants and the few others they've met aren't the only ones. One fateful night, they meet a few more, and end up diving into a rabbit hole of secrets, lies, old faces, new faces, and experiments they never saw coming.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

It was a clear night, with a brisk wind and few clouds to cover the moon. The moonlight illuminated the rooftops, casting shadows against alley walls that played tricks on the mind. Some tricks, though, were real. Four shadows lept across rooftops, clearing alleys easily, running at a steady pace. They followed a set route, patrolling main streets and side streets, looking for trouble. There was little crime activity in the area they patrolled, little cause for alarm. One shadow, the leader, was still on high alert. He never dropped his guard on patrol. Leonardo looked over his shoulder at his three shadow companions. Shadow warriors, ninja, the four of them, even if some didn't quite act the part.

One shadow was throwing caution to the wind and leaping off any available surface, caring little about his surroundings. Michelangelo did a splendid job of causing a slight ruckus, only muffled by the height and din of late-night traffic. The two other shadows, one stocky one lean, looked on in amusement. Donatello was glancing at the stars, a rare sight in New York City. Raphael was twitchy, anxious for a fight. He continuously scanned the streets, just as Leonardo did. He would never admit it, but Leonardo was always thankful for Raphael's tenacity. An extra set of eyes boring holes into the street was helpful.

Donatello sighed at the calmness of the night and looked up towards the sky once more. A few of the constellations he knew, and others he needed his star chart for. This was patrol, however, and so his chart was back at home, in the lab. Raphael sighed as well, this one in mock annoyance as he looked away from his reckless brother, down to the streets below, returning to his crime scanning. When he had a fight, he too could enjoy himself as much as Michelangelo was. He spotted a group of Foot ninja before even the ever-vigilante Leonardo did. The crisp night air must have woven a spell on Leonardo as well.

"Oi, Leo!" Raphael shouted. His brother glanced over his shoulder, sharp eyes cutting straight to the point without a word. "There's a group of Foot down there. Wanna rough em up?" Leo tried to hide his smirk – truth be told he was a little bored too. The streets were quiet and the night was calm, but his senses were on high alert and would not let him relax. On any other night he would sit on the edge of a rooftop, high above the city, and sit, close-eyed, taking in the calm. Not on patrol, though.

The Foot ninja were always a target on patrols. Whenever they took to the streets, it was to carry out a mission given by The Shredder, their leader. Leo glanced down at the group of ninja to gauge the size of the group and see what they were up to. They invariably caused trouble, but Leo felt he needed to keep an air of justice. Nothing was different about this encounter; the Foot were up to trouble as always. He nodded back at Raphael and smirked slightly at his brother's wicked grin.

"But be careful," he said. "I count a good ten ninja in that group. Whether these ninja are skillful or not, their numbers could overwhelm us. Rushing headlong into battle is not the best idea."

"Blah, blah, blah," Raphael replied. "I don' want the lecture, Leo, I want action!" He flipped off the roof, using fire escapes and awnings to guide himself to the bottom. At the bottom of the building, he landed behind one of the Foot ninja. Just as he was about to lunge, he stopped short. The Foot ninja were preoccupied by a creature – er, person? – standing in the center of their group. Raphael couldn't quite make out what the figure was. It looked human, but at the same time not. Perhaps it was a rogue Foot, or some type of junkie hunched over from a high. It seemed defensive, no matter what it was. There was a lighter, whiter area on its face, almost mask-looking, that stood stark against the shadowed figure. It was throwing him for a loop.

His brothers had made their way to his side by this point, and Leo gave the signal to hold back. Raphael had no objections this time; he was interested in what would happen. Tensing, he readied himself to intervene should it be needed. Leo watched, eagle-eyed, taking in every detail he could about both parties. Donatello fidgeted, analyzing the same details Leo was cataloguing, and Michelangelo gawked at the figure.

They were locked in a standoff: the figure waiting for the Foot, the Foot waiting for the figure. The brothers tensed in the shadows flanking the Foot, waiting for a sign. Something changed. An unspoken signal in the air caused the Foot to attack. The figure felt it too, and leapt skyward to avoid the onslaught. Flipping, they used their change in direction to land on the head of a ninja before. As they jumped away, the ninja grabbed the figure's ankle and yanked them down to the ground. They landed with a cry of pain and a loud thump. A strangled moan echoed off the alley walls as the ninja converged on the fallen figure.

Raphael leaned forward, readying himself to jump into the fray just as he asked Leo: "Now?" He barely waited for a response before catapulting into battle. One Foot went down, tackled by Raphael's weight. The other ninja were taken by surprise, pausing for a moment to take in the scene. It was only for a moment though. The Foot came to their senses and moved to battle, the remaining turtles moving to intercept. They were outnumbered, but they didn't care; there was someone in need of help, and this was the first action they'd had all night. Giddy anticipation chased away the fear, adrenaline coursing through their veins. A battle calm overcame Leo and Donatello, a joy took hold of Michelangelo, and Raphael turned vicious.

He lashed out with a fist, hitting the closest ninja square in the jaw, knocking him out. He swung out with his leg to kick the second to the ground. His heel came down on the ninja's stomach, the air escaping his lungs with an audible whoosh. Raphael moved further in as Leo slashed out with his katanas, slashing one Foot into retreat and parrying another's blow. He pushed the ninja he was locked in combat with away and cut him down swiftly. Michelangelo leapt over his opponent with a laughing war cry before striking the back of the ninja's head with his nunchaku. With the blade end Michelangelo dispatched two more, their bodies falling to the ground with a soft thump. His smile grew wider as he tried to block it out. Donatello followed Michelangelo into the fray, following his trail into the thicker part of the battle. He used his bo-staff to clothesline the first ninja that rushed him, spinning it to deliver a blow to the gut. Taking advantage of the momentum, he uppercut the last ninja, knocking him out cold.

While Michelangelo and Donatello worked over their assailants to ensure they were all incapacitated, Leo and Raphael reached the masked figure. They lay crumpled, dazed from their impromptu landing on the ground. They seemed nearly unconscious, curled in on themselves, unmoving on the ground. As the boys got closer, though, they realized the figure was awake enough to view them as a threat. They weakly threw some loose gravel at the boys, a snarl rippling through the air, warning the turtles to stay back. They heeded.

"Donnie, come over here when you get the chance," Leo called over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the figure.

"Already here. Think the B team can't keep up?" he said. Raphael snorted, but Leo ignored him, turning the attention back to the more pressing subject.

"He's hurt, but not very responsive to us," Leo said. "He needs help. Think you can assess his state from here so we can move him without injuring anyone?"

"Uh, maybe," Donnie replied. "Though depending on the extent of the injuries he may need to be brought to a hospital. And I can tell right now he won't be willing to."

Another snarl broke through the atmosphere. "See?" Donnie quipped. Michelangelo had joined them by now and was standing uneasily next to Raphael, who crossed his arms and lifted his chin at the figure. He waited with little patience as Donnie circled the figure.

"He's definitely hurt, with a lot of damage to the ankle. The most damage seems to be on the back, but it's hard to tell. He's hunched so much I can't tell the dust from the injuries. There are a lot of them, too, but I need to get closer to see them clearly. He should be safe to approach; not much movement with that ankle."

Raphael wasted no time, striding over to the figure. He loomed above them, arms crossed and a frown set on his lips.

"You're hurt bad," he said, looking down at that white mask. The contrast between the dimmed face and the mask gleaming in the low light made it hard to make out much of anything about the figure. "Ya might 'ave ta come wit' us, and I suggest not fightin'. We're trained ninja, and betta than them Foot." The figure snarled back at him. They sure liked to snarl.

With a shrug, Raphael stooped down to move them into a better position for Donnie to assess the injuries. Suddenly, the figure lashed out with their leg – the injured one. It smacked Raphael across the face with a loud crack and knocked him into a sitting position. He rubbed his jaw, staring angrily at the mask.

"I ain't as injured as you think," the figure wheezed.

"Oh that's it! You're comin with us whether you like it or not!" He made to lunge for the figure, but Leo held him back.

"Raph cool it!" He looked at the figure closely. They certainly had an odd shape for a human.

"You don't look healthy. The way your back is bending is not healthy for a human. I believe you may have broken bones. You need to come with us, whether you think we're mutant turtle freaks or not."

The figure chuckled before devolving into a coughing fit. "You think I'm worried about that?" they said. "That's the least of my worries, that you're mutants. I am not going with you. Kindly back off before I snap your friend's neck."

"You're hurt," Donnie said. The figure lashed out, but he simply took a step back. "You need help; we're not going to let you just lay here with a broken ankle."

They glared at Donnie, then leaped to their feet and ran. Despite their injury they moved fast, but the farther away they got the more the brothers could see their hobble. Donnie looked at Leo with pleading eyes.

"Let's go," he said. "Follow him. His stubbornness won't get him far fast."

The brothers set out in pursuit, sticking to the shadows and steadily gaining on the figure. As they turned corners in an attempt to hide their tracks, the brothers leaped across rooftops and kept a steady eye trained on them. They spread out, so when one brother lost the figure, another would have it in their sights. By the time the figure ran out of steam and leaned against a wall to clutch their ankle, the brothers had surrounded them on the rooftops. The person was standing under a streetlight, the black marks on their mask standing out. For the first time the brothers got a good look at this mystery man. Or rather, mystery woman.

She had a distinctly feminine body, toned and curved in ways unlike the brothers' bodies. Something was off, though. Maybe it was just the dim yellow streetlight casting colors, but her skin appeared green, and yellow in some places. Then there was the question of that hunchback. Was it a hunchback? It almost looked like an oversized, oddly shaped travel backpack.

"Donnie, you see what I'm seein?" asked Raph.

"Yeah, I do," he said. "I noticed it earlier. The color, I mean. I thought it was just a trick of the light, but she looks…green. And what I thought was a spine injury looks like something else…"

"Like what Don?" asked Leo.

"A shell," he said, staring intently at the girl.

"Wait really?!" Mikey said. He lunged towards the edge of his rooftop, too far away for his brothers to pull him back. His sound and movement gave away their cover, and the girl looked up, startled. Before she could react, the brothers leaped down and encircled her.

"Ah hell!" she cried, scared by their sudden appearance. Her face turned from surprise to anger. "You followed me?"

"You're hurt," Donnie said. "We saw you hobbling, we know you need medical attention. Though, a hospital doesn't seem like such a good idea anymore. With you being, uh, a mutant and all."

She glared at him, fire burning in her gaze and making Donnie snap out of his scientific reverie to flinch and back up a bit.

"Yer comin with us," said Raph. "We have medical supplies to take care of dat ankle of yours. We ain't gonna hurt ya, so just come with us and we'll let ya go after."

"Or, ya know, you could stay with us for a while," Mikey said. He wiggled his brows at her. The look of disgust on her face said it all.

"I'm not going with any of you," she said finally.

"This isn't a choice anymore," Leo said. "You need to come with us, for your own safety. The Foot are after you and you're injured. It's not safe for you to be on your own right now."

A snarl ripped through the air between them. "I can take care of myself, and I can take care of the Foot." With that, she struck out, kicking Mikey in the gut, knocking the wind out of him, then twirling under Donnie's bostaff and using it as leverage to flip over his head. She knocked him down with an elbow to the head, then lashed out at Leo. His katanas slashed towards her, but she ducked out of the way and delivered an uppercut to his jaw. Just as she was about to run, two arms wielding sais trapped her between them.

"No escape now," said Raph. "So jus' come wit us."

"I don't think so," she said. An elbow embedded itself in Raph's gut, and a foot delivered a nasty stomp to his instep. He cried out and loosened his grip just long enough for her to slip out of his arms. The minute she was free, she took off down the street once more, her limp slightly more pronounced and her breathing echoing off the alley walls.

When the boys picked themselves up she was long gone.

They stood where they were for a little while, picking themselves up and regrouping. She had left no trace, disappearing into the night. Raph was staring intently down the alley, trying not to lose sight of the first turn he had seen her take, as Leo tended to Donnie.

"Yo dude," said Mikey. "What're you staring at? She ain't there boi."

Raph snorted. "Saw 'er take a turn up there. Don't wanna lose it."

"Ha! Raph's gotta cruuush!" He was rewarded with an elbow to the side as Raph huffed in annoyance.

"Knock it off you two," said Leo. "I think we're ready to move out. Raph, where did she turn?"

"Last alley before tha road."

"Let's go." The brothers ran down the alley, trying to pick up any trace of her, but there was nothing. No overturned trashcans, no grimy footprints, no clues as to which way she had hobbled. They took to the rooftops once more, hoping for some glimpse of the female turtle.

"We have to find her," said Leo. "She doesn't know what she's gotten herself into."

"And if we can keep a mutant out of the hands of the Shredder, we should," said Donnie.

"Right, keep looking."

After a few more minutes of leaping across rooftops and checking every alley they could see, the spotted her, hobbling along one of the darker alleys. She hadn't made it very far, but had taken a zig-zagged route in an attempt to confuse the boys. She kept looking around every few minutes, peering around corners, even glancing up to check the rooftops. She was a fast learner, it seemed.

The brothers stuck to the shadows, avoiding her wary looks. They looked to Leo for commands, waiting for the order to pounce. He shook his head, gesturing to encircle her on different rooftops. It was a pushing maneuver, one meant to corner her so she couldn't get away before they got their answers. She would have to be apprehended quickly, though. Even a cornered rat will bite the cat.

Fanning out, they began their maneuver. Four rooftops around her were covered, one turtle each, as they began to predict her path. A turn here, a double-back there, a glance down an alley that she took convoluted turns to get to. Her eyes and movements belied her intentions, and the brothers were soon able to see two turns ahead at times. Then, they cornered her. She began to see glimpses, figures in the night, flickering on the rooftops. It caused paranoia, as she took turns sooner or abruptly, backtracked and looped, all to try to shake the ghost of an image seen only on the edge of her vision. The brothers were herding her, letting her see them at certain times so she would take the paths they wanted, so she would end up in the dead-end alley they wanted.

There were a few located in this area. Any of them would do, so long as she was unable to move out of the alley before the trap was sprung. With a few more turns, she was in one. The boys' shadows flickered on the roofs around her, showing her their presence, taunting her with their victory as they prepared to spring down. Seeming to realize that she had been trapped, she slunk into the shadowed side of the alley and behind some crates and pallets.

The brothers convened on one roof facing the mouth of the alley. "We've got her cornered," said Leo. "The plan is to block the exit and advance. Cut off any routes of escape, but don't get too close. We need to convince her to come with us, not take her by force. I'll do the talking."

Raph rolled his eyes and huffed, but consented nonetheless. Mikey pouted at that, and was about to talk back, but Leo caught him off with a sharp cut of his eyes. He'd have no shenanigans during this, not when there was so much threat in letting her get away. They dropped into the alley entrance, creeping forward, ready to finish this.

She knocked softly on the hidden door behind the crates, quickly and urgently. It sounded similar to a rat's fervent scratching, soft but insistent. Disconcerting in a quiet alleyway. She waited with held breath, hoping for an answer soon. She knew they were there, at the mouth of the alley, starting in on her. It was highly unlikely they would try to harm her, but she was certainly not going to take the chance of being involved with even more ninja. The Foot were enough of a handful as it was.

Another quick series of raps, and a small panel slid open, a pair of sharp, intelligent eyes peering out at her.

"Password"

"Open the fucking door," she whispered urgently. "Let me fucking in!" she added in a harsh, panicked whisper at the hesitation. The panel closed and the door slid open, silent against the concrete, just enough for her to slip through into the darkness and safety of her home. Not even taking a moment to breathe, she hustled to the back of their makeshift home, ushering the others with her.

"No time to talk. Back. Now."

The brothers moved towards the crates, listening for shuffling, the rasp of skin against wood, any sign that she was moving around. They heard nothing. Leo held up a hand.

"We know you're here. Come out so we can talk," he said. No reply. "We aren't going to hurt you. We just want to keep you out of the hands of the Foot. Away from danger." Again, no reply.

"She ain't listnin' Leo. Let's just rip away all that wood and flush 'er out," said Raph.

"Thaaaat's not a good idea," said Donnie. "She won't trust us that way. She'll try to get away at every possible moment, and we'll basically be handing her over to the Foot."

"I just want a girl in the lair," Mikey said with a shrug. He was rewarded with a sharp smack to the back of the head.

"Ah! Fine, fine!" he pouted. "It'd be good to get her out of danger, too. Not like I didn't think of that too."

"I'll try again, then we'll advance. We can't make any progress if she won't speak," said Leo. The others nodded, Donnie a little wary of it all.

"At least say something. It's important you think of your safety. Had we not been there, you'd be captured by the Foot, or worse. We can keep you safe, for a time, until you can handle yourself or find a safer place to live. You can't fall into the wrong hands. There are people worse than the Foot soldiers."

"He's fuckin' lecturing her," said Raph. "I can't believe it. He's fucking lecturing someone he don't even know." Mikey snorted and Donnie tried to hide his snicker. Leo turned around with an annoyed glare settled on his face to meet Raph's smirk. Trying to regain his dignity, Leo turned to the crates and issued a warning.

"If you don't come out in five seconds, I'm coming in."

He waited, the seconds ticking by slowly, and still nothing. He sighed heavily, and walked towards her hiding spot.

"I don't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." With little more preempt, he pushed aside a crate and flipped pallets back, expecting to reveal a snarling, terrified female turtle. Instead, he was met with a blank wall with scratches and dents. An ordinary alley wall.

"The fuck?" said Raph, coming over to the spot, arms held defensively at his sides. "Where'd she go?"

"I…I don't know," said Leo, baffled. "She couldn't have gone anywhere. There's nothing here."

"Maybe she's a ghost, dudes!" Mikey said. "That'd be bitchin!"

"Donnie?" Raph turned to his brother, hoping he had an explanation.

"I, uh, I'm not sure. Let me see." He pushed past his brothers to examine the wall, the ground, the crates, looking for any signs of an escape or hiding spot. As he examined the crate, he leaned his hand against the wall for support and felt a slip. His head snapped to the wall, not moving his hand as he scrutinized the area. It was one of the many dents on the wall, but this one, this one seemed thinner, like it wasn't the concrete of the building's foundation. He slowly moved his hand one way, then the next, and the dent slid. He moved his hands around the wall surrounding the dent, looking for anything. A seam, a small handle, anything that might indicate an entrance. He found it. A seam running along the foundation in a more-or-less square.

"I found it. It's a door in the building's foundation. There's probably a small room behind here that she could be hiding in. The door probably slides or swings inward. I can open it in a short amount of time."

"Do it Donnie," said Leo. His brothers nodded, readying themselves for a possible barrage. Donnie took a steadying breath, loosening the bo-staff on his back, and prodded the door until he figured out which way it opened. With another breath, he slid it open and stepped to the side quickly, grabbing his bo and positioning himself alongside his brothers. No barrage came, no growls or screams from the opening. Leo signaled them forward with a flick of his chin, taking a cautious step forward. They moved their way into the shelter, searching.

"Jesus," Raph said under his breath. The initial duck into the shelter was deceiving. The inside was much more spacious than the outside indicated. It seems that the doorway opened into a part of the building's basement that was sectioned off from the rest. Walls formed halls and rooms that snaked back.

"This will be difficult," Donnie said. The others nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Well this was a long time coming. I'm getting myself back into writing, but with my scheduling right now I can't really devote time to a regular upload time. I'm mainly using this as a way to relax in my downtime, so it won't go away. It'll just take a while to complete.**

They had secured themselves in the back of their home, hidden inside the maze of walls and rooms. Grimly, the one who was chased thought that it was only a matter of time before they were found. The four male mutants would most likely split up and search the rooms and halls, never far enough for backup to be of no use. They would use teams of two, and send one team a little further down the twisting halls to begin their search. Absently, she remembered that her room was a mess and they would most likely stumble across it. It was a strange thing to think about, but she supposed that was where minds in a panic tended to wander. She turned to the three figures crouched beside her.

"Alright, I have a plan," she said. "Listen closely, 'cuz we prolly don't have a lot of time." The other three, similar yet different from her in so many ways, leaned in closer. It struck her hard, then, how scared she was for her family. They had come to rely on her so much, and she had no clue if she could protect them. Pushing past the lump in her throat and the panic clouding her brain, she relayed to them her thoughts on their adversaries' likely movements. They would be in twos, she stressed; that would be their only chance.

"I'm thinking, if we can get the jump on one of the teams, we can use them against the others. It's a little scummy for my tastes, but we got no choice." The others nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now, we're at the very back, and I don't know how much time we got before the first team makes it back here. I'm not even sure if we can get up to a good position before meeting them. We need to stick together and use the shadows. We can at least do that, right?"

One of the other girls, sporting a dark gradient and two dewlaps under her chin, spoke up. "Masks on, girls. We're going in with fists and silence. The weapons are in the front room." The tremble in her hands and the waver in her voice belied her strong words. Despite this, the three who had been pushed to the back pulled masks from safe-keeping places on makeshift belts. With a signal from the one who had been chased, they slunk down the hallway, two glued to each wall, searching for the intruders. Slow and unnervingly quiet, they prepared to ambush whichever unlucky souls passed close to them.

The brothers were also preparing, plotting to flush out their quarry. Upon seeing the sprawling labyrinth in the building's foundation, they huddled up to plan it out.

"It's best to split up to cover more ground. Teams of two, watch each other's backs," Leo said, laying out his plan. "From what I can see, it's one hallway, and I'm guessing it twists back with rooms off of it. Any other hallways should be short dead ends."

"So, first team checks the first rooms, second team continues down tha way ta check otha rooms?" Raph filled in.

"That's the plan. Raph, you're with Don, and you two will go farther down. I'm pretty sure she would have holed up in the back, and Don needs to tend to her wounds. So far, you've been the only one to be able to restrain her for any length of time."

Raph only grunted in agreement, staring stalwartly down the hallway. A fire was in his eyes, ready to settle a score. Donnie placed a hand on his shoulder, though it was quickly shrugged off. He ignored it in favor of signaling for them to start down the hallway. Weapons drawn, they stalked ahead, keeping low and quiet. Leo and Mikey started off slightly behind, immediately turning left to check out a room blocked off by a heavy curtain.

It seemed to contain nothing but junk and food containers, with an old beaten up couch in the corner. Rather unassuming, with no places to hide. Even the couch was poor cover with how low it sagged into the floor. With a disgusted sneer, Leo nudged some old Chinese take-out cartons with his foot. Mikey took to it much better, sniffing about like a bloodhound for scraps. Simply rolling his eyes at his brother's antics, Leo grabbed Mikey's attention and directed them to the next room.

Even more uneventful was Raph and Donnie's journey into the depths of the hole in the wall. They skipped over quite a few rooms, but found no small hallways. It seemed like it was going to be a straight shot to the back, and the doors became farther apart the deeper they ventured. Eventually, Donnie stopped Raph with his bo staff and nodded towards one of the doors, indicating they should check it out before continuing on. He placed a discreet chalk mark on the floor to let the team behind them know it had been checked. Then, the duo made their way through the tattered rice paper screen marking off the room.

The room was near pitch dark, and completely barren. Donnie quickly ran a hand over the nearest wall, feeling for any signs of a light switch or traps. Finding nothing, he moved cautiously into the room, Raph following close. His bo staff served as a walking stick, searching the floor before him and the walls around him in a search for hidden compartments. The room was as empty and disappointing as it had seemed.

"Well that fuckin' sucks," Raph said lowly. Donnie shot him a flat look of agreement before turning around and heading towards the door.

"Time to move on to the next one," he replied. The two maneuvered themselves through the door into the hallway, continuing down the path. The next door was barely visible, quite a ways down.

Inside the room, the four girls crouched on each side of the opening. They had seen the two brothers coming, their eyes much more adjusted to the darkness of their home, and had ducked into the room. It seemed that the chased girl's assumptions had been correct so far, and it was highly likely the team would check this room next. Now it was just an exercise in patience and anticipation. The smaller and more rounded one of the four was fidgeting excitedly, while a slender one was shivering slightly in nervousness. The dewlapped one looked ready to bolt. There was no time to calm them, however, as the girls heard the two intruders exit the previous room and continue their way down the hallway. Poised and ready to strike, the girls trained their eyes on the opening to the room.

Raph and Donnie made their way carefully to the next room. Before entering, Donnie made another mark by the opening and allowed Raph to enter first. Just as he fully entered the room, a small figure launched itself onto his shell, grappling around his neck. He let out a cry and stumbled forward.

"Raph!" Donnie called out, rushing in as well. The chased girl frantically held up a hand to prevent the other two girls from launching as well, grimacing at the small one's timing. That cry and shout had probably alerted the other two farther behind, and they didn't have much time to subdue these two before backup arrived. They had to get it right, which meant waiting until the two intruders were sufficiently distracted.

"Gerroff!" Raph grated out. Donnie latched onto the shoulders of the small one and used her forward-shifted balance to help Raph roll her over his shoulders and off his neck. She landed heavily on the ground, a gasp of air escaping her as she contacted the floor. Raph promptly placed a heavy foot on her chest and Donnie held his bo staff at her neck. Raph rubbed his sore neck as he examined his attacker. His eyes went wide.

"Don," he said, ceasing his rubbing and leaning down slightly. "She ain't the one we chased here."

Donnie's face shifted into one of alarm as he too took note of what physical differences he could see in the dark. Even the mask was strikingly different.

"Oh shit…h-how many are there?"

The chased one gave the signal, leaving no time for the two to turn around before they had leaped onto them and taken them to the ground. Swiftly, they were knocked unconscious and tied up with the makeshift belts.

"Tsukiimi," the chased one started. The small one gulped and looked towards her. "What were you thinking? You nearly exposed us. We're lucky the other two didn't arrive right after they called out."

"Sorry, Kaigisune," she responded meekly, eyes downcast. Kaigisune rarely used her full name; Tsukiimi knew she fucked up.

"Yurokami, Naryuu, watch the door. They're probably on their way right now, and we're out of ties. You need to incapacitate them quickly so we can use these two as leverage with little risk. Now quiet and be on guard." They nodded and took up positions by the door, with Kaigisune and Tsukiimi ducking into the shadows, leaving the brothers in plain view. A low groan came from one of them as he came to after the attack.

Kaigisune missed when the other two slunk into the room, and was only alerted by the faint shine of metal in the center of the room. Her eyes widened – how did they slip past Yurokami and Naryuu? A glance at the door showed her the two were still on guard, watching the doorway. She tried to signal them discretely, let them know their plan was compromised, but it went unnoticed. If she wanted to save them, she'd have to act fast. Tsukiimi looked to her with wide eyes, asking for direction. Kaigisune observed the two newcomers, watching as they eyed the walls and began working at the knots tying their brothers down. They weren't sufficiently distracted for a sneak attack, and without her other two sisters an initial, all-out assault would likely fail. Clearly, the brothers outmatched them. Even just two could take them out easily.

But it seemed there were no other options. Either they try to incapacitate these two, or they lose any hope of winning. With a quick nod, Kaigisune leapt forward onto Leonardo, slipping off his mask and wrapping it around his neck in one smooth motion. He let out a strangled cry and stumbled backwards under her weight, reaching for his neck. Michelangelo was ready when Tsukiimi attacked only a second behind. They traded blows for a brief moment, but there was no real fight. Mikey outpaced her in every aspect and secured her with little effort. Leonardo was also ending his battle, having already been on guard when Kaigisune launched herself at him. Throwing his weight forward while simultaneously pulling her arms down, he threw her over his head and slammed her into the ground. Kaigisune let out a pained cry as she bounced on her shell and knocked her ankle on the cement floor. By this time, Yurokami and Naryuu had noticed the commotion and were rushing to their sisters' aids, sweeping the boys' legs out from under them. The four sisters positioned themselves between the two still-bound brothers and the two able-bodied ones, on guard and shaking.

This was it. They had been found by those that could best them without lifting a finger. It was over, and highly likely that they would not make it out in one piece. Their plan had failed, leaving two injured and captured in their care with the other two extremely pissed. There was no telling what would happen next, and they were scared. Terrified. Petrified. It was like the lab all over again, but this time there was no getting out, no going back. This was a corner they could not fight their way out of. Eyes wide, almost completely white with panic, limbs shaking uncontrollably, the four sisters held their ground tightly together, waiting for the end.

Mikey was ready to jump into action, bursting with energy. These girls were hardly a fight, but his brothers were behind them and they'd just attacked for no reason. Sure, they'd kinda followed one of them in without permission, but like, no need to get so defensive about it. He hardly registered the fact that there were _more turtle girls_. No, that could wait. Brothers, danger. He had his priorities straight. Leo, however, seemed to have them all sideways. He held his arm in front of Mikey and sheathed the one katana he had out.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Mikey asked, sparing the briefest glance at his brother. Leo said nothing in return, instead slowly raising his hands in front of his plastron placatingly.

"We aren't going to hurt you," he said. "We just want to help. If we managed to follow you here, I'm sure others have. You," he pointed at Kaigisune, "need medical attention. We can keep all of you safe in our lair, since this place is basically compromised now."

Kaigisune breathed heavily as she gazed at Leonardo. With a wary look, she motioned for her sisters to relax and huddle closer. Not much tension left their shoulders, but they did tighten rank and relax their battle-ready stances. Slightly. It was enough for Leo to sit down on the floor.

"You followed me here," she said. It was not a question, not a statement, but an accusation. "I'm sure you can see how you four doggedly stalking me home does not make me feel safe. Forgive me if I'm skeptical of you strangers."

"I know you're all scared," Leo continued. "Just, let's talk. Untie our brothers, sit down, and I promise, you'll be able to trust us."

Kaigisune gave him a look that simultaneously said it all and gave away nothing. It was clear that none of them would be trusting the brothers any time soon, and Donnie – still bound on the floor – could practically see their chances of saving these girls dwindling into the single digits. Leonardo was a master negotiator, but these girls were guarded, and now that he thought about it, breaking into the home of the girl they were chasing, posing a potential threat to her family and pretty much taking away their only safe spot was a really bad move. Unforeseen situations are great at throwing wrenches into the machine.

So, what happens when a stubbornly unstoppable force meets a terrified, unmovable wall?

Donatello hoped only good things, but he was pretty sure it would be only bad.

"You followed me," Kaigisune repeated. "If what you've said is true, you've compromised our base. Our _home_. You've put my family and myself in _fucking danger_ by possibly leading a tail this way. And you expect me to _fucking trust you?!_ "

Leonardo winced slightly. "None of that was our intention. There was no tail – if there was one, we would have noticed fairly quickly. Whether anyone else knows about this spot, you'll still be safer with us. If we were able to follow you and find the entrance, others can too. Others who won't hesitate to kill you."

Kaigisune narrowed her eyes at him and let out a small growl. "Why should we even believe you? We have no idea who you four are – you cut down those Foot ninja like they were _nothin._ Who's to say you aren't just as bad?"

"Hey, c'mon!" Mikey piped up. "We aren't anything like them! We're cool, they're lame, we're good, they're bad, they want to kill us, we want to kill them…. Okay maybe we have that in common, but, like, nothing else."

Leo rolled his eyes, as did Kaigisune. She cut her glare back to Leonardo, then to the two bound turtles. Quickly, she stepped back between her sisters and grabbed a kunai out of Raph's belt.

"H-hey now," Donnie said. "W-what're you planning on doing with that?" She sent a sneer his way that made him flinch majorly. He was slightly ashamed, but that look in her eye…she was unstable in that moment. The room held a collective breath as Kaigisune lowered the blade to Raphael. It hovered much too close to his neck for comfort, but with his limbs bound there were few proactive actions he could take. He was at her mercy, and he hated it. With one more glare at Leo and a sharp, released huff of breath, she cut the ropes on first Raph, then Donnie.

The room breathed again.

" _One_. You get one chance to show us that you won't hurt us. Then _maybe_ we'll consider your offer."

Still plenty of chances for bad, but Donatello thought those chances were increasing. She had given them more than just one chance, she had given them an act of trust. The proverbial olive branch had been offered, and Don knew Leo would take it. Leonardo immediately unsheathed his katana and threw them across the room, his own show of trust. Even though it made the girls recoil in fear at first, they soon saw the act for what it was. Donnie's and Mikey's weapons quickly followed. After a few nudges, Raph reluctantly did the same.

"I don' even think I want to help yous guys," he spat. "Pretty shitty whatcha did."

"Pretty shitty compromising the one safe place we have," she shot back. He had the grace to growl and pout to the side. Kaigisune gazed at the group critically, keeping her sisters behind her. Trusting anyone was an issue. Trusting ninjas was even more so. Even the fact that they were mutants couldn't calm her nerves – mutants weren't immune to treachery and betrayal. They had followed her here, broken into their home, and then thrown away their weapons and offered to keep them safe, despite having the upper hand and getting back the two captured brothers. She didn't know what to think. So she asked.

"What are you offering, exactly?"

Leo brightened slightly, seeing part of her armor fall away. "We can keep the four of you safe back at our lair. There are plenty of spare rooms, so you'll have your own space. It's safe, no one knows about it besides our circle. Our master is kind and understanding, and would not object to you staying for as long as you need. I would prefer if you stayed until we knew it was safe for you to go. The Foot are dangerous – I don't want to release you right into their hands."

The other three girls were looking between Leo and Kaigisune expectantly. He seemed to be truthful, but the statement that he had a master unsettled Kaigisune. Even though she'd had no doubts before, they were now confirmed ninja. Not to be trusted. Kaigisune saw her sisters looking to her for guidance. They'd been doing it more and more lately, leaving her to gather supplies and not daring to venture out themselves. Too many close calls and injuries had chased all but Kaigisune into their hide-out. With how often she had to go out to gather food and how little they moved, it was only a matter of time before they were tracked down. Dangerously is how they had been living, and it was pure luck that it was these four and not someone else who found them out. If her sisters were going to look to her like she was a leader, then she was going to act like one. She raised herself up and out of her ready stance, facing Leonardo head on.

"Up," she told him. He obliged and held eye contact, waiting for her decision.

"What of food and water?" she asked.

"Provided for. You won't need to go scrounging for it."

"How can we trust we won't be harmed? Or betrayed?"

"Only my words and what you see." Kaigisune and Raph scoffed at that. She leveled a rough stare at him. Turning to her sisters she asked the silent question. Naryuu leveled her with a steady, stalwart stare. It was full of bravery and a promise to watch her back and keep those sharp eyes on anything that moved. Tsukiimi's look was full of trepidation, but a willingness to follow her sisters. She would be ready should anything happen. Yurokami, however, was petrified. Her eyes were wild and her posture tense, mouth open every so slightly in a silent plea. She knew much better than her sisters how badly trusting someone could end up. Kaigisune placed a three-fingered hand on her shoulder, a promise to hold her steady and pull her away from danger. With one last glance at the brothers, the dewlapped turtle nodded.

With a swift pivot, Kaigisune returned her attention to the brothers. "We'll go," she said. "But I have a few conditions. First: we meet your master immediately. Second: we reserve the right to leave until we've decided if its worth staying. Third: our space is our space; stay out of it."

"You've got a deal," Leo said with a smile and an outstretched hand. Kaigisune gave it a cursory shake before quickly withdrawing her hand.

"YEEESSSSS!" Mikey said, punctuating it with a punch to the air and an exuberance enough to startle everyone. "FOUR girls in the lair! Score!" The sisters turned wary eyes on him.

"Fourth: keep him away from us," Kaigisune added.

"Will do," Raph replied, dragging Mikey out of the room by his bandana, grabbing their weapons as he went. Leonardo finally replaced his own over his face, and he and Donnie collected their discarded weapons as well.

"Follow us," said Donnie. "We can get to an entrance just around the corner. We're located in the sewers, away prying eyes. The labyrinthian-like tunnels are perfect for staying hidden."

Tsukiimi made a face at that. The sewers were disgusting, and a possible place for mutants. So they'd avoided it. Seems they were right, though with any luck these mutants would be better than the others. Hopefully. Warily, they started after the four brothers, keeping a good amount of distance in between them at all times. If this was a trap, then there would be room to maneuver. Despite her instinct to bolt in the opposite direction, Kaigisune was anxious to meet their master. There was only one master she had ever known, but if the four were truly against the Foot, then they're master had to be different. Maybe good, kind. Perhaps, they could use it to their advantage. But first, they needed a new home. Following the four boys seemed like the best shot they had at the moment.

With eyes narrowed in determination, Kaigisune lead her scared sisters to what she hoped was safety. They were counting on her now. Once they were safe – if they were safe – she could work on getting them back to their old selves. Living life on the run was taking its toll on them, and it hurt her to watch, to feel so helpless as her sisters slid down a steep slope with no fight left to stop themselves. She forged on, for the sake of her family.

It was when they leapt down through that manhole, boxed in with two brothers behind and two brothers in front, that she began to lose her confidence. They made her jittery, with an uncontrollable desire to pull her sisters close to her, under her plastron like she used to. Yet she continued to forge on, her sisters gathered tightly around her. She would follow and handle her anxiety if it meant saving them. Dealing with the aftermath of ignoring her instincts could wait until after they were safe. If she was the only one left who could, then she had to hold herself together.


End file.
